Is the Field of Study or the Institution More Important? Value of a Tertiary Degree among Students from Diverse Social Background

Education has long been used for upward mobility. In recent decades, sociologists of education have explored the internal stratification within the expanded higher education sector, in terms of the field of studies and the type of tertiary institutes, that lead to differential income rewards and occupational outcomes of their graduates. Previous research findings inform us that the socioeconomic returns for a degree of traditional prestige fields of study in elite universities are higher, and these places are largely taken up by students with advantageous background. In this mixed-method research, we look into the composition of students in some newly emerged professional programmes with high market value. We explore how students’ family background impact on their education choices of enrolling in an accredited nursing programme that offered by different types of tertiary institutions. For many of those from disadvantaged background, choosing a programme that have a strong record on graduates’ jobs and pays, despite their being offered by low-ranking institutions, is the fastest and cheapest way to secure a stable and proper employment. While for others, obtaining a degree offered by a top university remains as their greatest concern. I argue that even though students enrol in the programmes that grant them an identical professional licence, their concerns, choices, and aspirations are differed significantly by their family background and academic performance. This paper contributes to theories of institutional stratification and offers an alternative approach to understand young people’s educational decisions and learning experiences in an expanded education system.